SEVEN YEARS LATER

The salty wind whipped through Martha’s hair and she pushed it aside with the part of her hand that wasn’t covered in strawberry jam from little James’s sandwich. From her vista in the sandbank, she sat watching Julian run around after the children down by the water, pretending to be a growling monster.

Since the children had come along, she had seen a whole new side to Julian that she had never previously witnessed or anticipated. He was s solitary, stoic person in private; a friendly, amiable gentleman in public and now a roaring playmate with the little ones.

Martha laughed raucously as she watched and heard the children’s squeals of delight as he caught them and tickled them before throwing them playfully into the air.

Next to her, Martha heard a giggle from Eloise.

‘He’s so good with them!’ Eloise’s eyes gently appraised her son and Martha smiled in agreement.

Then a stillness came over Eloise as she looked over to Martha’s daughter, who sat building a sandcastle and smiled sadly.

‘She is so much like her,’ Eloise said wistfully. There was no need to ask who she meant. At just four years old, little Charity already looked astoundingly like her namesake Aunt.

Martha nodded. ‘Julian says she has Charity’s funny little character too…’

‘Oh, she does!’ Eloise perked up. ‘When my Charity was six, she dug a hole in the garden and when it started to rain, she insisted the Groundsman help her to bring the hole into the shed to keep dry. She made him carry an invisible entity into the shed and told him it was much heavier than he made out and that he wasn’t pretending hard enough!’

Eloise and Martha laughed heartily, joined by Henrietta and Henry who sat slightly further along and had listened to the story.

‘She was so funny!’ Martha responded. ‘Certainly, little Charity must take after her Aunt because the other day she told me that there is a bunny rabbit who lives under her bed and she must bring him a carrot every day!’

The group laughed and Belinda leaned forward. ‘You were much the same when you were little, Martha! A cheeky little mite!’

Martha loved the summer days when her parents came to stay and everybody was there together.

Down on the sand, Sarah turned to wave up at them and they all waved back. Then Sarah’s hand retreated back down to hold the hands of her twin toddlers who were learning to walk. The three Caldwell children ran around the twins celebrating their tentative steps with whoops and cheers.

Martha stood and made her way down the beach leisurely, watching as the gentle foam of waves lapped lazily at the shore.

‘Look, Mummy!’ Charity called as Martha approached. ‘’My sandcastle has a moat! Daddy showed me how to dig it so that the water floods underneath when the waves come in!’

At that moment, a wave lapped up and sure enough, filled the carefully dug moat. Charity squealed in excitement that her mother had witnessed it and Martha applauded Charity, bending low to kiss her on the top of her head.

Martha continued her walk along the shore to where Julian carried little James on his back, acting as though he were a horse. 

‘James! You will be covering Daddy’s clothes in sand with your feet!’

In response, the small boy kicked his feet about giggling, making Julian laugh all the more.

‘Giddy-up, Daddy-horse!’ James demanded playfully and Julian rolled his eyes fondly before running further up the beach with James giggling chaotically on his back.

Martha sighed contentedly as she watched them. It had been a bold choice to call their son after her father. Both she and Julian agreed he had not shown himself in the best light when first they met. However, since their wedding, when he had felt ashamed of himself, James had turned his life around, he no longer gambled and had raised enough money to restore the family home back at Farenwood. He and Belinda visited the Thornedale estate for a long weekend every month, to spend time with Martha, Sarah and their ever-growing families. Martha felt proud of her father for changing the course of his life and she and Julian had honoured this by making him the namesake for their son.

Martha spun about, scanning the beach and breathing it all in. As she looked over at her family perched upon the sandbank, she saw Henry pass Henrietta a bag from which she pulled some picnic treats to be distributed. She smiled at the contentedness of their existence and the peaceful environment they found themselves in. Alistair was serving a long prison sentence and nobody even mentioned him anymore. His evil plans to destroy the Thorne family had been thwarted and Martha felt thankful every day.

She walked to collect all the children and gather them all for the picnic and as she approached Charity, Julian came running up alongside her with James on his back.

Turning to see them, Charity stood up excitedly and ran to her mother.

‘Mummy! Mummy! I have something for you!’ Charity squealed with joy.

She ran with her sandy hands outstretched and bounded up to them all.

‘Look! This is for you!’ Charity held out her pudgy little hand and Martha, Julian and James all leaned over to see what she had as she opened her palm to reveal her special gift.

Sitting in her palm, in a little sandy puddle, was a seashell that was small and pale, with a shimmering coral streak running across it. It looked almost exactly like the one that Julian had chosen for Martha seven years ago.

‘Oh!’ gasped Martha. ‘Thank you, my darling girl!’ Martha delicately lifted the shell from Charity’s palm and held it up to the light to show Julian.

His expression blossomed with a look of recognition and their eyes met over the tops of their children’s heads. Julian looked at Martha with eyes full of love. Their passion for one another was a warm, fond, familiar glow that intensified over time.

Martha kissed both their children on the tops of their heads.

‘Who would like a picnic?’

The children cheered and ran ahead, up to the sandbank where their family and friends gathered.

Julian and Martha smiled at one another and – despite her ankle having been perfectly healed for seven years – he held her hand.

THE END